Are you ready to admit BYU will dance in the NCAA Tournament?
Two things I’ve read in the last two days come to mind.
BYU is heating up.
with Yoeli the Cougs are 12-2. Assuming Baxter can get back into game shape in the must win games before Gonzaga the team might come to a boil…we shall see.
Arizona is their normal statistically fabulous, but resume meh.
Pope’s boys are statistically fabulous but resume is still that of a bubble team.
They lose one or more games before the Gonzaga invititational in Vegas and lose one in Vegas and they are square on set up to win the NIT Championship.
Will two losses to Gonzaga still get the team in? maybe maybe not.
Assuming they win out except for two games against the zags the record would be 24-9.
Any WCC team with 9 losses is usually a shoo in for an NIT invite.
Do I think they have a better shot against the Zags now over two weeks ago? Sure.
Defense is improving again. Though how much of this is because the schedule is so weak?
Baxter has the potential to make a difference. Hasn’t shown it yet in game but the reports from practice and last year argue that he may be the marginal difference that gets the Cougs over the hump into the WCC tourney final championship and cement a bid.
Kolby Lee though is currently better than Baxter. He held his own for much of the game in the Kennel without Yoeli, with Yoeli taking most of the minutes he could be a difference maker.
All of this assumes of course that Nixon returns at strength or some other Coug steps up to be the glue player that Dalton has been this year.
Right now we are squarely in the NCAA. Not the NIT. Tonight’s game is a must win. So is SC. GU is not. Pepperdine is not as long as we hold on to 2nd place. Stop with the NIT. No one in the “know” is talking about it.
BYU continues to move up in the national rankings as the season presses on, as noted by the Deseret News’ Jeff Call. Earlier this week, he wrote, “The Cougars (19-7, 8-3), riding a four-game winning streak, are ranked No. 23 in the NCAA’s NET, No. 16 by Kenpom.com and No. 24 (up from No. 31) by Andy Katz. When the Associated Press poll was released Monday morning, BYU collected 43 votes (up from 14 last week) to finish outside the top 25 at No. 29.”
Hardly at NIT team. 80% to win the first game in the NCAAs, 6 or 7 seed as we sit today. The Gonzaga game will not change our seeding with a loss but a win could send BYU into a 5 or 6 seed
I repeat what I said above.
“If the teams were being picked today, I would agree Pope’s boys would be in.”
The question I am attempting to answer though is where will the team be when the invites are handed out, which is likely to be after BYU loses two more games.
If the Zags squelch BYU in either game, anything close to the way they did SMC, the question become dicey. If BYU loses to any team other than the Zags, including SMC or Pacific in the WCC tournament semifinal, the NIT championship will be the loftiest goal left for Pope’s boys to achieve.
They need to win out.
Four more games regular season.
Two more games in WCC tournament.
Then they get the lofty seeds and possibilities.
Lose one anywhere and their seed becomes difficult.
Lose more than one and the NIT becomes a distinct possibility.
SMC has more than once missed going dancing despite good numbers and an ok record. To avoid the situation, to quote Pope sometime in the last few weeks, Just win baby.
BYU must win tonight-the Gonzaga loss won’t hurt them. In would be great to win at Pepperdine, but a loss won’t kill them. The league tournaments traditionally aren’t much of a factor in the NCAA, except if an underdog wins which, or course is an automatic invite and could hurt the 2nd place team. If BYU finishes alone in 2nd and a long shot doesn’t win the WCC tourney, they will go to the NCAA tournament, if anything, based on strength of schedule. For now, though, the only important game is San Diego, based on their terrible record. It’s a dangerous game because they are improving every game. Pepperdine would be a more acceptable loss, but we don’t want to chance that one either.
That was too close. Worst game played in league
They have been good lately-led SMC and Pepperdine on the road almost the entire game
Baxter still looks lost. Needed Nixon. That one ref has to go.
The big nose referee? I didn’t see the game but I agree with that one
you called it. SD really felt comfortable out there and when the refs called 3 quick ticky tack fouls on Yo, they were feeling like they could knock off BYU and they almost pulled it off. TJ got his 2nd double double and Childs would of had 30 if they hadn’t got him into foul trouble.
BYU should be ranked on Monday
I watched the replay. Baxter on offense is moving to the basket off the screen and is open but no one was throwing him the ball for easy dunks. I hope the coaches see this in their review. The guards too.
The nose as not there but two of the worst offenders historically were. This game was a case of really bad reffing combined with a sharply improving SD team. Case in point… Haws had 2 calls, not unlike the Childs quick fouls. On replay, Haws was pushed down from behind when Hatfield just shoved him as he passed…Haws was called for flopping. Both times Hatfield just shoved him.
One guy, Sullivan, local kid, was very tough for BYU to guard. I did some detective work on him because he was not on the radar and just about killed BYU with his timely 3s and really good driving for layups or the Oop to their center for an easy score.
SD is a very different team then they were a month ago…How Coach Scholl has gotten them to buy in and play hard after all their beatdowns is amazing. They can beat Pacific at home, mark it down.
BYU was very lucky to come away with this win.
Add the fact we didn’t shoot as well either. And that will happen on occasions. But, Childs was saddled with fouls and Haws was given those flop calls. I thought flop calls were supposed to be called only on potential charges. Not being pushed from behind.
Tough game for me to watch. We were out rebounded and I felt the loss of Nixon would hurt us. Imagine a year ago me saying that about Nixon-incredible. Anyway, a win is a win and it’s time to not overlook SC even though they are slumping. And yes BYU could be ranked with a few teams taking losses yesterday😃
I paid special attention to Pope’s huddle after that rash of fouls on Childs, then on Haws and SDU trying to take control of the game. Pope is Soooooooo different from Rose in game. He is under control but yet lets the reffs know when they screw up. Pope, I was reading his lips, after SDU went ahead midway in the 2nd goes, “Play our game, trust each other, knee cap Hatfield and Sullivan and lets end this”.
Haws in the past would of sulked, now he just leads, he has really grown up. Barcellos is such a blessing to this year’s team. harding with the gimpy leg is so underrated. Seljaas Mamba look after that last 3, just nasty.
Looks like Harding’s knee is good again. He’s got the hops back and can get up for rebounds and dunks. He wears the brace for protection and may have it scopes at the end of the season. After several knee injuries I would wear braces or knee compressions for a bit more stability feeling for a long time afterwards